blog 28

So i watched the episode "The Cloud Minders" from the original Star Trek. Basically what happens that in order to save an inhabited planet from being destroyed by a botanical plague, the Enterprise goes to pick up zenite, the mineral cure, on the only known planet where it is mined. When Kirk and Spock go down on the planet they are attacked by 'troglites' (miners) but they are not captured. High council adviser Plasus steps-in and brings them to Stratos, the rich-people metropolis, which literally floats in the sky. However, it is under attack from 'disruptors', troglite revolutionaries who want equal life conditions for both the miners and the rich people. They do all the hard work, mainly working miserably in mines and live in caves on the barren surface below. Dr. McCoy finds out the alleged intellectual inferiority of the troglites is not genetic but the reversible effect of exposure to the invisible gas emitted by the zenite. Basically, this episode i feel is trying to deal with racial issues at the time. Time episode came out in 1969, and it speaks a lot to that generation. The episode preaches equality especially since the doctor makes that discovery. Racism was a major problem, obviously, back in the 1960's. I would say the original Star Trek has a lot deeper symbolism than Battlestar Galictica, at least that;s how it seems. It seems like everything after Star Trek is just a copy of Star Trek to a certain degree. It's kind of classic seeing all the original characters in the show.